Nicanor Sanchez credited his religious devotion for his enjoying a healthy 110 years before he died Monday at his San Antonio home.

“Faith, simplicity and hard work were the pillars of his life,” said Ana Maria Sanchez, a granddaughter who was raised by Nicanor and his wife, the late Maria del Refugio B. Sanchez.

The retired sheet-metal worker loved to dance, recite poetry and share stories of his childhood and work, Ana Sanchez said. “He always ended his stories with his gratitude to his heavenly father who saw him through everything,” she said.

The oldest of the couple's three children, Eva S. Sanchez, said daunting challenges never dampened the zest for life exhibited by her dad, who emigrated from his native Mexico to America in 1913.

He toiled for 75 cents a day at a steel plant during the Great Depression, she said, and later landed a civil service job at Kelly AFB, from which he retired in 1968.

“He made sure we had food on the table every day. We were a very happy family,” Eva Sanchez, 81, said. “He taught us to never belittle anybody. He took us to the library all the time so we could read.”

Described as “very, very frugal,” Nicanor, after landing his job at Kelly AFB, directed his wife to stretch his first month's pay for the entire year so they could buy their first home with cash, Ana Sanchez said.

“At the end of that year, they paid for it with 11 paychecks he had saved,” she said.

Nicanor's faith helped him cope with the loss, decades ago, of son Ricardo Sanchez, 6, as well as the death in 2002 of his favorite dance partner and devoted wife of 75 years.

“From then on he wanted to join her, but accepted the fact that it wasn't God's will,” his granddaughter said, noting “Granpito,” as she called him, attributed his longevity to “peace of mind through his faith in God.”

Nick Sanchez, 76, described his father this way: “He was a hardworking man and a good provider, and always stressed to his family to keep the faith.”

After Nicanor gave up driving in 1995, much of his time was devoted to the upkeep of his Brandywine Avenue home.

“Keeping his yard picture perfect was a priority. He climbed up on the roof to clear the gutters until he was 101,” Ana Sanchez recalled.

“He was very devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe,” she said. “He even had a grotto of the blessed mother in his backyard that he built probably 50 years ago. He prayed to her every night and every morning.”

Nicanor's mind remained sharp even as his body faltered, she said, noting Granpito jokingly professed a readiness to dance with his final visitor on Monday.

“He never took any medication, only vitamin B-12 shots every two weeks,” Ana Sanchez said. “He loved to dance, have an occasional beer and have a portion of beans at every meal.”